A Deal is a Deal
by rutgers
Summary: Jane collects from Maura


A Deal is a Deal

Disclaimer: Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles and Barry Frost are owned by author Tess Gerritsen. The events to which this story refers are owned by TNT. The story is mine. Quick little one-shot to help out a friend and figure I'd post it for you guys! I'm still working on What a Pair too, don't worry! LOL Please read and review! Thanks - rutgers

Jane arrived at the crime scene and took off her sunglasses.

"Detective Jane Rizzoli, Victor 825," she said, giving her information to the officer guarding the police line. He lifted the tape for her and she ducked under, walking over to where Maura Isles, the Chief Medical Examiner, was hunched over a body.

She stood there for a few minutes, watching the doctor work. "Hey, Maura, what do ya got?"

"Jane, you know better," Maura warned, not even looking up from surveying the body.

Jane rolled her eyes as she knelt down, taking a pair of purple gloves out of her blazer pocket. She started prodding around, her eyes widening as she playfully smacked Maura's arm with the back of her hand. "Hoooo, well, hey, look at this," Jane said.

"What?" Maura asked, confused.

"This, right here. This," Jane said, her voice getting higher as her excitement level grew. She indicated the spot to Maura with her gloved hand. The streak was located on the victim's neck, just below the ear.

Maura shook her head and rolled her eyes, going back to what she was doing. "You know that's a reddish-brown stain, until I conclusively determine otherwise."

"Maura - no! Don't even try it."

"Jane, what the hell are you talking about?"

She stared at Maura, incredulously and slack-jawed. "Come on, Doctor Isles, don't tell me you've already forgotten."

A deep, frustrated sigh. "Forgotten what, Jane, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about. If you don't stop pestering me, I'm never going to get this done and get back to the lab."

"Nuh-uh. Don't even try it. Maura - you owe me."

The blonde ME stood up and threw up her hands in confusion. "Okay, what? What is it exactly that I owe you?"

"Oh. My. God. Really? Um, remember, TEAM PUKE? And that ridiculously hideous skintight, retard ... thing?" Jane asked, returning to a standing position and throwing up her left hand.

"The marathon, yes. Of course I remember. It's a _leotard_, Jane," Maura laughed, shaking her head. "Anyway, what's your point?"

Jane was becoming beyond exasperated with Maura and stared at her wide-eyed. When the doctor showed no sign of recognition, Jane set her jaw and spoke very, very slowly.

"Maura, remember when you turned on the waterworks because I wasn't about to take off my t-shirt to run in that, that, get up? And we made a deal. You agreed, at the next crime scene, to refer to blood as just that - blood. Not some stupid reddish-brown stain."

Maura tilted her head in thought for a moment and raised her finger in an `ah-hah' moment. "And I do believe I lived up to my part of the bargain."

"What? How? How do you think you've lived up to it? You're calling that a reddish-brown stain!" Jane said, her voice beginning to crack a bit from being completely flustered.

"Detective, are you telling me you don't recall what happened at the marathon? The victim in the street? I clearly recall telling you, definitively, that it was blood spewing out of him when I attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation."

"Maura, that doesn't count!" Jane pouted, rocking on her heels. "And I told you that didn't count as soon as you tried that little stunt!"

Maura burst out laughing at the detective's antics. She loved getting under her skin just to get that type of reaction. She decided to keep it going a little longer.

"Moving on, Jane. I should have the results of all this for you this afternoon."

"Really? Moving on? Yeah next time you get some wacked idea in your head, don't even attempt to use your tears on me, because it won't work," Jane said, pointing at her and trying not to smile.

"Whatever, Jane. Anyway, like I said. Later today."

"God ... woman! You drive me completely batty," Jane said, walking around, trying to process the rest of the scene.

Jane walked away, half fuming and half laughing. That was the last time she'd strike a deal with the wily medical examiner. Maura knew Jane would give into her crying that day at The Dirty Robber. That was one of her weaknesses and she knew it. Whenever a family members of one of the homicide victims she was investigating started crying, Jane melted into a puddle of soft mush - momentarily, of course - just so she could offer comfort.

Detective Barry Frost approached Maura. "Hey Doc, so what do you think we are looking at here?"

Maura checked to be sure Jane was far enough away. "I think it was a blunt-force trauma to the skull. Look," she said, kneeling down. He followed suit and watched as she pointed to the same area Jane at which Jane had pointed. "There's blood here from the ear."

Jane's ears perked up like a dog hearing a rustling bag of food. She whipped her head around and strode over to Maura and Frost, pointing her finger at Maura.

"Really, Maura? Really? You'll tell Frost it's blood, but you won't say that to me? What the hell?"

The expression on her face told Jane she knew she'd been caught. Maura started laughing and Frost looked between the two of them, confused.

"Don't even speak to me, Isles. Find out whatever you can, Frost. I've bagged a few things as evidence," she said, holding up three bags containing various items. She shot one more glare at Maura.

"Wait, wait, Jane, come here," she said, playfully shooing Frost away.

"What?"

"I'm going to live up to my part of the deal. Come here."

Jane, with a pout still on her face, walked over and knelt down next to Maura. The ME took her gloved finger and ran it along the area by the ear. "This right here is blood. It is most likely from a blunt-force trauma strike to the back of the skull. That, for now, is my best hypothesis, Detective Rizzoli. I will know for sure later this afternoon once I perform the autopsy."

Jane smiled. "Wow."

"Wow what?"

"You called it blood _and _guessed at the cause of death, all in the same breath," the brunette detective stammered, surprised. "I can't believe it."

"Well, now you can stop harassing me," the doctor said.

Maura went back to filling out the paperwork to allow for transfer of the body to the morgue. Jane continued looking at the victim, seeing blood on the hand and under the fingernails.

"Look, Maur, at the hand and by the nail, there's more blood," Jane said, holding it up.

Maura narrowed her eyes and looked at it closely. "No, it's a reddish-brown substance."

Jane stood up and looked down at Maura. Maura smiled up at her. Jane shot her a glare that spoke volumes and shook her head, turning to walk away, her frustration evident.

"I'll see you in the morgue back at the station?" Maura asked, a smile playing on her lips.

Jane turned, smiled and walked away.


End file.
